Somewhere in the inevitable future there will be changes and technology most of us can’t fathom. There will be androids, electric cars, cyborgs, hybrids and our bodies may be so evolved that we no longer require sleep. It’s the perfect solution for no longer having to say, ‘I just wish I had more time to get stuff done.’ The advantages become exponentially worth the investment.
William Minsky made a film on this very subject. He called it Resonance. He was very generous to take the time out of his new fatherhood role/full time focus puller, to meet for a coffee and discuss this sci-fi marvel.
“This film has so much production value. When I watched it, the images and visual effects were unbelievable and looked very big budget. How did you accomplish the shots and the look of the film?”
“I was the writer, director and DOP. I had a relatively small crew of 4-10 but for the most part 3-4. I’m a focus puller on the set of a TV series. A lot of co-workers on the set volunteered their time and sometimes I’d be out with my wife in an area that looks good for a scene and take out my Black Magic camera. It took three days to shoot it and Ricky Choi provided the colour correction at the end of every day. When it came time to edit it, all the images already had great colour. I then cut all the entire movie so it was in sequence. I found a VFX guy in Georgia and would send him the files with mock up version I’d created. I’d have stills that I’d draw and add to the images before sending it off. I was very specific about the look and colour scheme. Creatively, we were both on the same page from the start. It helped tremendously.”
In addition to writing it, Will also directed, shot, edited, made the props, created the wardrobe and cast his wife Briana Rayner as the lead, Aleena Ambrose. Jennifer Kaleta played the villain, originally written for a male. They found her and the rest of the cast on Vancouver Actors Guide.
When Jennifer sent in her audition tape, Will said her performance was unsettling and they knew they had found their villain. He also followed up with Jennifer being the absolutely sweetest person off the set. Bob Rathie, Tatyana Forrest, Josh Blacker, Requell Jodeah and Michael Cound round out the rest of the cast.
Will shares a quote from a Clint Eastwood book that says,
“If you cast your movie right the movie takes care of itself.”
William Minsky cast his wife Briana at 8 months pregnant. She pulled off an impressive hero that never broke character nor gave you a reason to doubt her motives. She was entirely convincing as a futuristic rebel/hero that stops following the program dictated my the government. In doing so, she finds out information that could alter humanities future safety.
“The locations are remarkable and very unique. How did you have such luck?”
“Because I work on a live set, when we travel to other locations, I would make a note if I liked it for the film. I would then revisit it at a later time. The other exterior locations were used if we could maintain a low profile and there was little traffic.”
Will is a science fiction fan and was inspired to shoot something different from the cameras perspective. A what-if scenario in the future. The shooting Will does is a lot of different genre type stuff. He wanted to experiment with some dark sci-fi. He shot it in 2015 but finished the edit in early 2017. For the wardrobe, Will had found a company in Seattle that had clothing with the right colour palette and futuristic look. They only had to apply a few small modifications.
In terms of ambition and tenacity this is the most ambitious film Will has made in comparison to his other short films. He is hoping that the right people will see it and say,
“I like it. Let’s turn it into a larger film.”
For the music score, his producer Blair Dykes was at a house party and met some band members. They were a little inebriated and everyone got along quite well. Blair ran the idea past the band and they followed up with him later at Kiklo music. The band did the entire sound mix as well as the score. They were amazing and transitioned the ambient sound into music. Will says they were so talented and understood his musical ideas immediately.
Resonance was financed out of pocket and it will be submitted to festivals. He’d like to use it as a calling card to do more films. A lot of the cinematography side came from watching others on set. Interesting shots he’s seen on set helped to inspire his own.
“Talking to people on set and exchanging ideas was also helpful. As the director, it gives you the freedom to try risky and experimental shots. Another advantage to making your own films, is you get to direct with full creative control and you can give opportunities to others working in areas of film that wouldn’t otherwise get those opportunities in the mainstream world. The set was very positive.”
I’m not surprised the set was positive and full of good vibes after meeting William Minsky. His films skills are an anomaly. I cannot wait to see what he brings in the future. No pun intended.
